A New Year Together
by lettersfromlorena
Summary: Just days before Christmas Jane has proposed to Maura. Life could not be better with a visit to the Fertility Clinic scheduled and a brief trip to St. Martin for a much needed vacation.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Continuation of the Together Series. You may want to read Holidays Together for the backstory.

A New Year Together Chapter 1

Jane dropped the tray of coffees on her desk and flopped into her chair. She had made it in on time and somehow had managed to get there dressed and with all of her gear but she had never been so relieved to see an empty callboard in her life. She was exhausted having been up late celebrating with Maura. No way she would be functioning at her sharpest today.

She was actually in a pretty good mood given the lack of sleep. Talking over coffee this morning they decided to hold off on announcing their engagement for a few days until Christmas Eve when everyone would be together and then they would be leaving the day after Christmas for their vacation. Reluctantly she had taken her ring off leaving it with Maura to lock up along with hers in the safe.

How the hell would she ever be able to keep this under wraps until Wednesday night? Especially working a double shift today so she could have tomorrow off to go to the Fertility Clinic for the test results. She ran her hands through her tangled hair and prayed the phone would not ring bringing them a case.

The morning had dragged on with piles of boring paperwork and administrative tasks. Cavanaugh had watched her from his office for a few minutes before dumping more stuff on her desk resulting in a loud "Come ON!" He just laughed and shut the door to his office.

After her third failed attempt to reach a detective at another precinct to follow up on a cold case she banged the phone down. She caught Korsak staring at her.

"You all right?"

"Yup. Let's go get lunch. There's nothing happening here."

"Where's the Doc today?"

"Governor's meeting. Gone for most of the day. You'll have to entertain me with fascinating fun facts."

Korsak snorted as he grabbed his coat and hat. "Nice, I'm so getting fries with those rib sandwiches."

"Great brunch yesterday." Korsak wiped sauce from his chin. "You hear anything more from Ciara about the case? I didn't want to bring it up at your house." Korsak had been on the conference call Saturday evening.

Shaking her head, Jane finished her fries and began gathering up her lunch debris.

"I'm hoping to grab a beer with her when she gets back to town. Be nice to have a contact again in the Feebs office." Jane slid the tray to the edge of the table.

Korsak looked up at the comment. He looked closer at the dark circles under her eyes and the overall haggard look. "You ever hear anything from Agent Dean?"

Jane shook her head feeling her face get red. It had been over two years since she had spoken with the FBI agent who had been assigned to the Hoyt case and then reappeared to take down Paddy Doyle. The memory of sleeping with him would always be tied to one of her worst personal and professional embarrassments. She still felt the burn from his personal and public betrayal.

Korsak nodded, not pushing the subject. "Be nice for you and the Doc to get away after Christmas. Where are you headed?"

Jane sighed, a smile immediately lighting up her face. "St. Martin. Maura says its guaranteed to be great beach weather and even though its tourist season she found an out of the way place that has both a French chef running the kitchen and a Five star spa."

"Of course she did," Korsak laughed. He watched Jane's eyes roam the crowded, noisy diner, a smile pulling at her lips and thought for a second her eyes were shining.

"You know, it's great that everything has worked out with you two. I'm happy for you, for the both of you."

Jane looked at him for a moment. She started to speak and then stopped, shaking her head, her voice soft and gentle for a change, "Yeah, I never…" her voice trailed off, unsure of the words. "How old were you when you got married, Vince?"

"Which time?" Surprise at the change of subject flashed across his face.

"The last time. You said she was the one, the one that got away."

Korsak frowned as he watched her look around the room, anywhere but at him and then suddenly realization filled his eyes. He swallowed his grin and coughed. "42. It was the greatest five years of my life. Not a single regret other than I should have got help sooner, fought harder to keep the relationship going."

Jane blinked a few times before looking at him. "You're a really good cop, Vince, and a great guy. She stood up and took the tray off the table. "I'm the luckiest person I know." She headed for the exit.

By 5pm Jane was praying for the phone to ring, bored to tears. Korsak had left at 4:30 and with the shift change she wouldn't even be the first one on call should something come in. More paperwork. She had 5 hours left. Maybe she should clean her desk. "Unnnngh, I shouldn't be here" she groaned in frustration, "I just want to go home!" Not that anyone was listening.

Standing up she reached into her desk drawer grabbing her gun. Checking the slide and safety she holstered it and clipped her shield to her belt. Poking her head into the lieutenant's office she told the second shift commander she was heading over to the range for some target practice and to call her if something came up. She stopped by the duty sergeant's desk and let her know as well. Checking her phone she saw another message from her mother. No way she could talk to her mother without spilling the beans. She had avoided the café all day.

"_Hey, I'm heading to the range to practice and then taking dinner at 7. Can you join me?" _she texted Maura.

They had spoken briefly on the phone earlier in the day when Maura had been on a break from her monthly administrative meeting at the Governor's office. Both commiserated on how exhausted they were but hearing her voice, Jane felt soothing warmth envelope her, a sense of calm and what felt like fulfillment. Her breath caught in her chest as if just now realizing what had happened. She was engaged. She was getting married. Maura had said yes. In fact, Maura had planned to propose to her. She could not wait to get home, to see her, to see if it was all a dream.

Pulling up her safety glasses she rubbed at her eyes and the places where the goggles had pressed into her face. Her head hurt and she could barely keep her focus on the hanging target sheet 20 yards down range. Shaking her head, tugging the brim of her cap and moving her noise reduction headphones back into place, she took her stance and aimed the sights of her gun, lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger. The paper target shuddered.

Laying the gun down on the counter once the clip was emptied, she pressed the button to reel in the target and pulled off her goggles. The target sheet fluttered on its way to her. Snapping the sheet off the clip she inspected her handiwork with a sigh. Average at best.

Grabbing the .45, the empty magazine and the stack of used target sheets she headed over to the range director's office. DeLuca looked up from his desk in the window as she approached; he slid a hand under his desk and buzzed the door so she could exit the range. Banging her glasses and head set into her designated box on the shelf she ripped the sheets in half and dropped them in the trash.

"Tough day, huh Rizzoli?" DeLuca growled as he stepped down off his raised platform where he spent his time observing the shooting bays, managing the range and monitoring firearms tests and certifications.

Ramrod posture, crisp starched shirts and creased chinos, salt and pepper crew cut with a black BPD ball cap brim perfectly rolled and black-framed glasses screamed old school ex-military. Jane figured who better to have running a police gun range. Rumor was he had been in charge of a Special Ops unit when his eyesight started to fail.

He had given everyone, especially Jane, a hard time when he first came on board acting like a drill sergeant even though she would ace every re-certification test and could outshoot almost every guy in her group. They had verbally sparred for the first six months until finally reaching a level of respect for each other's skills and experience.

After Hoyt, DeLuca became protective of her, deferential, making sure her glasses and head gear were always up to code, leaving a fresh gun cleaning kit in her box, making sure there was always a shooting bay available when she started to come in daily to re-qualify after rehabbing her hands.

He had pulled back briefly after learning about her relationship with Maura but once Jane started bringing her to the range to teach her how to shoot and seeing the positive effect Doctor Isles had on Jane's recovery, DeLuca inched his way back into her circle.

The day that Maura was waiting for Jane to finish on the range and some cadets from the academy had encircled her, hitting on her and crossing the line with some of their comments, DeLuca had charged out of the office to straighten them out. Maura had come right from the gym and was still in her yoga pants and form fitting tank top with a long sleeved tee shirt slung over her shoulders tied around her neck. Her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked ten years younger than her age.

Jane still had her ear protectors on coming off the range when she saw DeLuca yelling. Maura had stepped back away from the group and her blushing face and body language sent alarms through Jane. Tearing off her glasses and head set, empty gun gripped at her thigh pointing at the floor, she stormed over to step in front of him chest to chest.

Before she could finish her first sentence, Maura moved over to put a hand on her arm and interrupt her. She had to explain twice before Jane understood that DeLuca had been protecting her. Jane looked around at the cadets and back to DeLuca. He stared over her shoulder, face flushed. "Behavior unbecoming of a police officer," he barked, unable to make eye contact with her.

Jane whirled around and laid into the three cadets who stood frozen to the spot, faces sweating, and eyes staring straight ahead twitching with mortal fear. By the time she finished taking their names and information promising them that they would be getting a rip in their folder along with suffering major bodily harm if they even so much as thought about Dr. Isles, DeLuca had gone back to his office.

After walking Maura out to the car, Jane went back to the range.

She stood at the shelves, arms crossed, legs apart staring at DeLuca's back.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

After a few moments he sat back in his chair and put his pen down on the desk and growled without turning around.

"I guess they've lowered the behavior code at the academy. Well, we still have one here. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. She will always outrank them unless by some unbelievable mistake they become Governor of this state."

Jane bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. She smiled and nodded. Now everything made sense; he, like everyone else, has a crush on Doctor Isles.

"Yes, and we know the chances of any of those three knuckle heads even graduating from the academy is slim and none." She stepped toward him. "I mean it. Thanks for having our back."

DeLuca shook his head and picked up his pen and started writing again. When he didn't say anything else, Jane left. Both had their honor intact.

She had hoped an hour of shooting would pick her up but she was distracted, her motor skills were horrible, her aim was off and her targets showed the effects of her late night. Shoulders slumping, Jane yanked her gun cleaning kit off the shelf and stomped over to the counter to disassemble and clean her gun.

"What are you doing here so late Rizzoli?" DeLuca dropped some extra clean rags for her on the counter.

"Pulling a double shift so I can have tomorrow off-got a doctor's appointment." She laid out the pieces and began wiping off the old oil.

Deluca went back to his desk. They both worked quietly in the sound proofed room until Jane's phone beeped.

"_How about I meet you at the range when you're done?"_

Jane smiled and checked her watch_. "I'm done shooting. Cleaning up. See you in a few, at 6:30?"_

"_I'll be there. Love you."_

"_X." _Jane grinned and put her phone back on her belt.

She looked up to see DeLuca watching her.

Head down, she carefully inspected each part of her gun.

"You married DeLuca?" Jane's voice surprised herself. She glanced up at him and then back at her gun.

"Was. Divorced." He was frowning at her.

"Kids?"

"Two daughters." Jane looked up at him.

"Both in college. Youngest wants to go to Quantico."

Jane nodded. "Are you close?"

He shrugged. "Apparently, the older they get, they smarter I become."

Jane laughed. "Yeah, I think that's happened with my mother."

"They had a tough time, when they were young I was overseas all the time, then their mother got custody." He piled up the old editions of _Guns & Ammo_ magazines he had been sorting on his desk and shuffled them, evening them out, aligning them perfectly. "I could have done things differently."

Jane finished putting her gun back together. She wiped up the counter, bagged the dirty rags for the trash and returned the clean ones to the shelf with her kit. She stepped into the small clean up room that had a sink and hand soaps.

They heard the outside door chime and then Maura was smiling at the glass door looking like a million bucks in her going to meeting outfit, hair up, heels and purse over her forearm. Her dark navy Burberry coat unbuttoned in the front.

Jane felt that kick in her chest and grinned as she finished drying her hands, tossing the towels in the trash as she sauntered over to the door. "Can we get a buzz?"

Deluca reached under his desk for the button.

Maura breezed into the room immediately putting a hand on Jane's forearm as if she had not seen her for days. "Hello sweetheart. Hello Joseph!"

Deluca stood at his desk. "Doctor Isles."

Jane had to laugh. Maura was the only one DeLuca let call him by his first name.

"Ready for dinner?" You would never know the Doctor had been up till the wee hours. Jane caught herself staring, her head fuzzy, and a silly grin on her face.

Grabbing her coat and gloves she turned around, "Hey, DeLuca, if I don't see you have a great Christmas."

Maura walked over to his desk. "Have a wonderful holiday, Joseph. Jane and I are going away until after New Years' but I'm sure she'll be in for training when we get back. "

DeLuca stuttered, keeping his eyes on her face. "Merry Christmas, Doctor Isles."

Maura wrapped an arm around Jane's waist as they headed for the door, which Jane pulled opened to let Maura go through.

"Rizzoli!"

Jane looked back.

"Congratulations," he said softly.

Jane stopped short, shock on her face. "How…?"

"Don't keep her waiting. Have a nice…trip. That's an order." He gave her a smile.

Her face was beaming as she headed out to the car.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I know very little about AI or any of the other procedures talked about in this chapter. Please forgive any medical mistakes.

A New Year Together Chapter 2

"Are you nervous?"

"Hmmm? A little."

"I've been thinking about what the test results might say. Thinking of you being pregnant, beautiful, glowing. Kids running around the house, basketball hoops in the driveway, bikes in the yard."

Jane rolled over to face her, a sly smile teasing her lips. "Hey, if this works, we might have another little stocking hanging by the fireplace this time next year. My mother hovering around even more-wait, we may need to move. _Far_ away."

Maura laughed as she finished moisturizing her legs, straightened out her nightgown and slipped into bed next to Jane. "Let's not get too far ahead there, tiger. Even if conditions are optimal, it may take several attempts before I conceive. I've been going over the possible options for a while because you know I like to be prepared. I think I'm ready to hear what they have to say, but I would be less than honest if I said I wasn't really hoping I can get pregnant."

Jane smiled leaning over to brush a lock of hair from her face, kissing her forehead.

"How was your first day being engaged?" asked Maura pulling the duvet up over them.

"Incredible!'" Jane beamed, arms raised to signal a touchdown. "Still seems like a dream which may be because I was so tired I felt like I was asleep all day. Are we getting old?" Jane groaned, "I can't believe how tired I was today. "She rolled over to tuck her head under Maura's chin. "Glad our appointment isn't until 10 am. How was your first day as the future Mrs. whatever we're going to call ourselves? "

Maura's laugh rumbled in her chest. "You did look like you'd been ridden hard and put up wet when we met for dinner."

"What? Really, Dr. Isles? And who's fault was that?"

"I'll have you know I was on time to my meetings, positively glowing, in heels all day I might add," Maura chuckled with delight.

Jane let a little growl slip out. "And a grateful nation thanks you for your service and your awesome calf muscles. I saw all those heads turn when we walked into the Robber."

"Well, my day was wonderful however I did have a hard time not shouting it from the rooftops. Luckily I was locked up most of the day in meetings." She rubbed Jane's neck and shoulders as she yawned. "What time are you getting up in the morning?"

Jane glanced at the clock reading 11:30. "How about breakfast at 8:00? That should give us plenty of time to get there, find parking and I'm sure there will be forms to fill out. I know how you like to get there early. Did you call Constance?"

"No, I wanted to wait until we announced it to everyone else and hopefully we'll have even more good news after our appointment tomorrow." Maura snapped the light off and snuggled into Jane's arms. "Sweet dreams baby girl, tomorrow's a big day."

Dr. Ashby silently closed the file on her desk. "I'll give you two some time to talk. I'll be back to answer your questions." Ashby checked the time on her phone and squeezed Maura's shoulder as she left the office.

"Thank you, Rachel," Maura replied softly looking down at her the papers in her lap.

Jane waited until the doctor had left the office before sliding her arm across Maura's shoulders and pulling her head in for a kiss. She sat back turning to face Maura and set the handful of pamphlets on the floor. "Maur, I know you're upset with the test results. I'm not sure I understand all of what she said…can you explain it for me?"

Maura slowly folded up the sheets of paper with her test results, smoothing out the wrinkles with her fingertips. Reaching down to tuck them in her purse she pulled out a travel pack of Kleenex blew her nose dabbing at her eyes trying not to smudge her mascara.

Jane pulled her hands down from her face and held them. "Hey, talk to me Maura, what's going on."

"I thought I was ready to hear all the possible outcomes," her face broke as she began to cry.

"Wait, honey, I heard her say there are other options we could try."

Maura inhaled then let her breath out slowly. She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned, pulling Jane's hands into her lap. Her eyes searched Jane's face and saw the pain, compassion and fear.

"The tests showed that my eggs are likely not viable. They are not sure why. It could be due to age. I'm relatively healthy and have not been pregnant before, have no history of reproductive issues but for some reason, my eggs came back with a low fertility rating." She reached over for her bottle of water on the desk and took several sips, struggling to swallow.

"My uterus is rated at the bottom of the scale for what they term 'hospitable' so while it may be possible for me to carry an embryo using someone else's egg, the chances are also unlikely. It may take several attempts to implant. Even if implantation is successful I may be unable to carry to full term. The risk of a late term miscarriage would be high. Especially with the chance of multiple births that often occurs when using Invitro or Intrauterine Insemination. "

Jane's eyes were wide, searching her face trying to parse the unfamiliar words.

"There would be health risks…for me," Maura continued. "I would most likely need to stop working if I did get pregnant."

Jane sat up back, resistance sharp on her face. "So, we use my eggs. We get my eggs and uterus tested. I can carry. There are other options here, right? And if I'm not…viable, fertile, or whatever, we talked about adopting."

Maura swallowed her sobs as she covered her face. "I…I wanted to have our child. I wanted to be a…mother."

Jane sagged in her chair, her heart breaking. "You will be their mother, Maura." Jane knelt down by her chair and rubbed her hands along her thighs. "However we decide to do this you will be the mother of our children." She stood up pulling Maura with her almost crushing her in her arms, rocking them gently, and murmuring in her ear.

After a few minutes Maura's crying quieted. She pulled back and reached down for more Kleenex. "I'm sorry Jane, I don't know…I thought I was prepared." They sat back down holding hands. She shook her head, her face slack. "All the years I spent…taking precautions…to not get pregnant."

Jane stiffened, her eyebrows arched. "Yeah, I'm gonna let that visual go right now. How about we step back and give this some time and we can get some more information. Talk about it at home."

"I'm sorry, Jane, I didn't mean…Jane, there would be risks if you were to carry. We decided on me carrying because you aren't ready to give up your job and the risks with your being out in the field, the stress even if you were to take a desk job would be really high."

"Maur, that's when we thought you would be popping them out every nine months. If this is what we want, I am more than willing to step up and do what is needed. You don't even have to ask."

Maura sat back suddenly and Jane leaned forward afraid she was going to faint.

"Hey, here, how about you drink some more water."

Maura shook her head. "I'm ok. I'm just feeling overwhelmed right now. Maybe we should reschedule an appointment, in a few weeks, take some time to talk about this. I'd like to do some more research…"

Jane nodded, concern written all over her face. She needed some fresh air. Picking up the pamphlets and Maura's purse she helped Maura to stand and held her close, leaving soft kisses along her temple and hair.

They heard a discrete knock at the door and Dr. Ashby poked her head around the door.

"OK to come in?" Her soft southern drawl brought a little smile to Maura's face. "How are you doing, Maura? I know this was hard to hear. Do you have some questions I can help you with?" She glanced at Jane and then reached out to touch her forearm. What would you like to know? How can I help?"

"I think we'd like some time to go over the remaining options and meet with you in a few weeks, if that's possible."

Ashby nodded. "Stop by the desk and check with Louise to see what's available – I already let her know to expect you. Maura, I'm emailing you some links to check out. I know you Maura, I know you're going to try and read your way to a solution. These websites and studies will get you started." She smiled and reached out to shake Jane's hand. "It was lovely to meet you Jane. I wish I had better news for you today." She paused and put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Please take some time to think about what each of you want from this experience. Once you've had a chance to step back from the emotion of today, you should consider the logistics that make sense for each of your lives. My sense is that you are both very committed to each other and to your new family. This is just a small bump in the path."

Maura looked at Jane who nodded. "We're recently engaged." She glanced again at Jane. "We're getting married."

"Congratulations! She hugged Maura and put an arm around Jane's shoulders. "I'm so happy for you both. If you have any questions before your next appointment don't hesitate to call, you have my direct number. Speaking of which…" her phone buzzed.

"I'll talk with you soon," she called over her shoulder heading down the hallway."

"You ok hon?" Jane pulled on her coat and held open the door.

"No. But I will be. Let's go home." She slid her hand into Jane's lacing their fingers together.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks for the lovely comments! New challenges arise for Jane and Maura heading into Christmas Eve.

A New Year Together ~ Chapter Three

Bracing her self against the kitchen sink arms out straight, knuckles white as her hands gripped the counter, Jane glanced out of the corner of her eye at her vibrating phone. The screen briefly lit up the darkened kitchen. She had let the call go to voicemail. Grimacing, breathing heavily, she grabs the kettle off the stove filling it to make tea.

When they had arrived back at the house from the doctor's office, Maura had gone right upstairs to lie down. Jane stayed by her side, rubbing her back and then held her until she fell asleep. Neither woman had any more words left to ease the sadness and disappointment.

Frustrated at not being able to fix this for Maura, she felt like her body was humming. Unable to settle down, unable to stop thinking about the what ifs, she went back downstairs to the living room. Searching on her iPad for some of the things Maura had talked about in the doctor's office she tried to piece together what their options might be but the overwhelming information just made her more frustrated. That's when her phone buzzed. Dispatch.

She didn't answer. For the first time in her career, she did not answer.

Running her hands through her hair she rocked back on the couch, growling. _Why _were they calling? They _knew_ she had put in for a personal day.

Jumping up in a panic she sprinted up the stairs to see if Maura had been called. She was always on call for the Governor or a high-level security emergency. Scrambling quietly she searched the bedroom and then realized Maura probably left her phone in her purse downstairs. She found it on the table by the entryway. Relief washed over her - no calls.

She paced around the living room and then into the kitchen. Standing in the shadows by the sink, her stomach in knots, she glanced over seeing lights on in the guesthouse. Her mother would be getting a head start on the feast for tomorrow's Christmas Eve get together.

Now she was glad that Maura had convinced her not to tell anyone they had scheduled an appointment at the clinic. This was not news she would be ready to talk about with anyone for a while. She was thankful people would not be asking how it went.

The phone buzzed so she pushed it onto the counter, out of reach.

Waiting for the kettle to boil, the phone buzzed, stopped and immediately buzzed again. "For fucks sake!" she barked under her breath, jumping when the kettle whistled.

After pouring the water over light purple tea bags she set the timer. Maura was peculiar about how long her tea steeped. Closing her eyes she leaned back against the counter anxiety making her feel even more exhausted. She could just shut the phone off. It was her off day and technically she was not on call. She felt trapped.

From the moment she entered the academy she had never said no, had never not stepped up when she was "volunteered" for an assignment. Her first few years as a cop she had been terrified the guys would nail her if she showed the slightest weakness or appeared less than them, in their eyes, a woman. None of them talked about their home life. None of them took time off for doctor's appointments, school plays or PTA meetings. It was as if they had no life outside of the precinct. It had taken her years of proving her toughness, painful hours of therapy after Hoyt and shooting herself and then letting Maura into her life before she began restructuring her thinking.

Still, she couldn't help feeling guilty when ever she took a personal day or felt like she might not be able to fight through physical pain or emotional trauma. It was so easy to slip back into old behaviors and just avoid feeling.

Shaking her head, her jaw tightening, she exhaled forcefully several times. She did not want to screw this up. She needed to be here for Maura. She wanted to be here.

The phone buzzed again. "Grrrrr," she swung around flailing her arms, fighting the need to punch something.

"Answer it."

"JESUS! Maura, you scared the living daylights… what are you doing up? I was just making some tea to bring up."

"Are you going to answer it? It's work. They wouldn't be calling on your day off if it wasn't an emergency." The timer chimed, her tea was done. She glided slowly over to the counter pulling open the silverware draw looking for a teaspoon to lift out the teabags.

Jane huffed but grabbed her phone and headed for the living room. Two calls from dispatch, then several from Korsak and the last one was from Cavanaugh. She pushed the speed dial for Korsak. It didn't even ring when she heard his voice.

"Jane? You all right? Where are you?"

"I'm home, Korsak, I have the day off," she whispered hoarsely. "What's going on?" Flipping back her hair, she arms wrapped across her chest, her voice was tight, clipped. Pacing around the room, the tension burned off of her.

"We caught a case. Got a call from Belmont."

Jane stopped pacing. Belmont was a well to do suburb with a low-to-almost no crime rate. Huge homes, centuries old granite stone walls, a lot of three car garages, prep school, one of the wealthiest towns in the state.

"What is it Korsak?"

"Home invasion. Husband and wife, three kids."

"All of them?" she gasped.

"Just the parents, kids were out with the nanny. They found the bodies when they came home. Thom and Martha Harmon. Jane, she's the president of Brigham and Women's and he's a top scientist at the National Institute of Health. It's bad Jane, Cavanaugh is on the phone with the Governor who was coming here tonight for a big shindig with a lot of other A-listers. Media's already outside."

"Shit. _Shit_," she repeated louder glancing in the kitchen. Maura was gone. Two tea mugs sat on the counter. She heard the closet door by the entryway close. She saw Maura putting on her boots and her case bag was open on the floor.

"I'll call you back." She clicked the phone.

"Maur? What are you doing?" she asked quietly.

Pulling on her long coat Maura tilted her head, nodding at her phone on the table.

"Dispatch called."

Shaking her head, Jane walked over, hands out to stop her.

"Maura, you don't have to do this."

Maura sighed, not wanting to get into it. She finished buttoning her coat and wrapped her cashmere scarf around her neck, leaning over to look in the mirror, adjusting the length. "I'll get the car warmed up, don't forget your warm socks."

They stood in the entryway staring at each other. She started to argue, her frustration bubbling over. "You took the day off," her voice low, pleading. "You can ask someone else to cover." Jane was sure Maura would know the Harmons, if not socially then through her hospital privileges at Brighams. They had probably even done some philanthropic work together.

Maura reached back to pull her hair out from under her scarf. Closing the space between them, she ran her fingers up along her arms, across her shoulders, gently cradling her face. "Jane," she whispered. "Look at me, honey. I'm ok. I know you're unhappy and frustrated right now. I wish we could just crash on the couch tonight." She lifted up on her toes to gently kiss her lower lip. "I promise, I need to talk about this, _we _need to talk about this but later. Right now I could use the distraction, get out of my head for a while. Come at it from a fresh perspective." She smiled weakly. "Come on, it's what we do isn't it? Rizzoli? Isles?" She wrapped her arms around Jane.

Jane sagged into her hug, pulling her tight against her heart, breathing in the scent of her silky hair, her soft, distinctive fragrance. Her cheeks burned momentarily with shame for thinking she had to be so over protective of Maura. It was her natural instinct that she would want to shield Maura from any harm, disappointment or unhappiness. It was her ego that made her think only she could do this, only she could fix things and that she had to take on all of their burdens. Maura was incredibly strong and resilient. She had proven that time and again. Today was another reminder.

She sighed, drained by the emotion of the day.

"K," she nodded. "Let me grab my stuff, I'll get changed in the car."

Maura kissed her once more, picked up her case bag and headed for the door while

Jane sprinted up the stairs calling Korsak.

"Hey, we're on our way."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks for taking the time to read and comment you loyal band of thoughtful readers. Warning: description of assault and a double murder.

A New Year Together Chapter 4

They hadn't eaten since breakfast, before the doctor's appointment so on the way to Belmont they made a quick stop for coffee and something to go. Jane placed the wobbly tray of extra large coffees on the floor of the car between her feet.

Following the directions on the glowing GPS screen Maura drove them across the Mass Ave. Bridge out through Cambridge and headed west toward Route 2. Late afternoon commuters and holiday shoppers made traffic impossible, it took them close to 45 minutes to go the 21 miles.

About a mile and a half from the address she breathed a soft "Oh!"

Jane looked at her, mouth full, wiping cream cheese from her chin.

"I've been here before!"

Finishing her bagel in one big bite, she reached over to take Maura's hand. "Korsak said…she cleared her throat. Korsak said they've been identified as Thom and Margaret Crowningshield."

"What? _No_! How…? Are you sure? What happened? Oh, Jane." Her shoulders sagged forward as she slowed the car.

Media vans and satellite truck lights lined the narrow wooded road leading up to the gated driveway, their lights blazing in the growing darkness. Two patrol officers were checking IDs at the gate and waved the blue Prius through the throng of reporters and camera people. Patrol cars, vans, and an ambulance were parked at the end of the long driveway along the circle in front of the impressive mansion. The house was lit up inside and out. It looked like a classic New England winter scene with the snow and Christmas decorations. It felt surreal given the activity inside the house.

Waiting for them on the granite steps at the front door, Korsak stamped his feet trying to get warm. Flashing IDs at the officer with a clipboard they quietly followed him into the foyer.

"Vince, what happened?" Maura asked pulling on her tyvek foot covers.

Jane glanced around the entryway, looking into the room off to the right and up the polished stairway curving around to a landing on the second floor. The house was beautiful, professionally decorated, like something out of Architecture Digest. A huge Christmas tree well over 12 feet tall loomed in the foyer, she could smell the fresh evergreen. Cavanaugh's voice cut through the buzz of crime scene techs, photographers, state and local police. He was talking to a couple of guys in suits.

Korsak nodded unhappily reading from his notebook. "The kids, two boys and a girl, ages 13 and 11 and 9 came back this afternoon about 3:30pm with the nanny. The parents had been home getting ready for the open house they were hosting tonight, a fundraiser for one of their charities."

"I know Margaret through the Barr Foundation, she is, was a co-founder, it's one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the country. I've served with her on the Board of Trustees for the Symphony and the Gardner Museum."

Jane moved closer putting a hand on her arm. "You don't need to do this Maura. We can get someone else."

"Rizzoli, Dr. Isles." Cavanaugh and the suits walked over. "This is a cluster fu…ah, a mess Rizzoli." He glanced nervously at Maura. "It's all hands on deck. I'm getting calls from everyone…One BPD all the way to Washington. This is Curtis and Walker; reps for the security company the Crowningshields used. They can take you through the set up, the timeline. The Governor wants constant updates so I need to hear from you every half hour whether you have anything or not. He's already planning a press conference for noon tomorrow. Dr. Isles, I need you to take the lead with forensics. I need you to watch over everything, double check anything they find and make sure no stone goes unturned and no detail is missed. I'm meeting with a Lt. Colonel Cosine from the State Police who will be the laison with the locals. The nanny and kids are down at the station giving statements. Call me if you need anything. There's no limit on OT for this, whatever you need Vince, Rizzoli you got it." He turned to answer his phone on the way into the kitchen.

Jane looked at her watch and noted Korsak doing the same. 4:30pm. The case was now theirs. They followed Maura into the room where the bodies were found.

"Hey, Maur," Jane whispered as she touched her elbow hanging back.

"I know Cavanaugh wants you on this, but really, are you sure…are you ok?"

"I don't know, Jane. I want to do this, it's the least I can do for them. It's just…" she shook her head remembering the Fairfield case. "It's so different when you knew the victims when they were alive."

Jane nodded searching her face, trying to gauge her level of anxiety. Her face was pale, almost haggard and her eyes were puffy from crying earlier. But she also saw intensity and focus; she was in her Chief Medical Examiner mode.

"Ok, just…if things get really bad…will you…" her voice trailed off not knowing what to say.

Maura shivered in her coveralls. "Thank you, Jane, I know. I'm glad you are here. Let's do what we can for them now. Help me find out who did this."

At first glance, the crime scene like a movie set. Bright lights were set up for photographing and videotaping. The large living room was tastefully decorated. It looked like they used as a family room with an oversized couch, recliners, and hand braided rugs by the hearth. There were framed photographs of kids with dogs, horses, ski trips, hiking. The bookshelves were filled. A piano sat kitty corner by the French doors leading to a patio out back of the house. An enormous home theatre screen was built in to another wall. There had been a fire earlier in the fireplace, the lingering smell mixing with the fresh greenery and the smell of drying blood.

Looking closer they could see some of the pictures on the walls were askew, some of the furniture had been moved, and the French doors were ajar. Books had been pulled off the shelves, rugs rolled up.

Thomas Crowningshield had been tied in what looked like a straight back chair from the dining room. He was facing the sofa, blood pooling on the floor underneath him. His body slumped over, his face and head badly beaten, what looked like a gunshot wound in the back of the head. His hands were tied in front on his lap and his legs were bound around his thighs and ankles. His chest and arms were tied to the chair back and his mouth had been taped. There were visible wounds on his arms and chest where his shirt had been cut away as well as on his thighs. His pants had been removed. He did not have shoes on.

There were blood spatters on the floor and walls; none had reached the high ceiling.

The sofa was about four feet away and had several spray patterns of blood along with a dark spreading stain on the middle cushion.

Margaret Crowningshield's body was lying on the floor on her side between the sofa and the doors to the patio. Her hands were fastened behind her and one of her ankles had a length of rope tied to it. Her face was discolored and she had cuts on her cheeks and a split lip. The back of her hair was matted with blood and she was naked except for her bra that had one strap cut off her shoulder. There were several small cuts along her arms, chest and thighs. A trail of blood followed from the sofa to her body.

Korsak and Jane walked the room being careful to stay on the grid marks set up by the techs so their footprints didn't disturb the scene. The longer they looked the more apparent the extent of the beatings and what now looked like torture became.

"I think they were interrupted," Korsak finally spoke. "They may have been trying to take her with them, out the back, when something happened."

Jane nodded. She was looking around the floor, under the sofa, behind the recliners.

"There's no teacup Jane."

Jane stood up slowly. "Yeah, I know. Different M.O. Looks like a robbery that got out of hand. What are you thinking? Drugs, money? He's a doctor and she works at Brigham and Women's."

'This was not some neighborhood street thieves or druggies Jane. This was organized. They knew what they were looking for. There were two maybe three here in this room. Ballsy to pull this in broad daylight. There was some planning behind this."

Jane watched Maura and the crime scene tech carefully, tenderly turn Margaret's body over. "I'll start with the security guys, find out how they got in around the system, and see if there is any video surveillance on the property. See what the first on the scene people got, what the rest of the house looks like. It doesn't look like there are any neighbors close enough to see or hear anything but I'll send people out to double check." She swept her hair back, checked her phone for messages from Cavanaugh.

The house was set well back from the road surrounded by landscaped lawns and gardens, a pool that was closed for the winter. The property bordered on acres of conservation land on one side and at least a half mile of woods that lead to the back of the Belmont Day private school. The location made it a great target for break ins but there was no way the Crowningshields did not have top of the line security with his job at the NIH and her job as president of one of the top cancer research hospitals in the world. The problem was where were they today? How could someone get in and do something like this?

"Can you call in and get someone started on phone records, cell phones for them, the nanny and the kids. I think we start with the help…the nanny and anyone else scheduled to be here to help with this party tonight like the caterers, decorators. Somebody saw something, knows something."

She moved closer to the doors watching Maura carefully probe around the back of the woman's head. "What can you tell us?" she asked softly.

Maura stood up slowly. She glanced back at Thom. "Gunshot wounds to the backs of both their heads, beatings with hands and some other objects. What appear to be repeated cuts to both bodies by a smooth blade not deep enough to really injure or kill just wound. I'd estimate time of death between 1:30 and 3:30pm." She began pulling her gloves off, rolling them into a ball.

"Evidence of sexual assault with Margaret and possibly with Thom. There are signs of semen and what may be blood on his body and underwear. I'll know more when they get back to the lab."

"OK. I'm going to be here for a while and then head back to the station to meet with the nanny and kids." She waited for Maura to look up and make eye contact. Both aware this could have been even worse if the kids had been here.

Packing her bag up, she looked around at the family pictures. "I'll call you as soon as I'm done with the examinations. I'll get you the reports as soon as I can." She glanced up at Jane and then turned to organize her assistants.

Jane followed Korsak to the kitchen looking for the security guys, pulling out her phone to update Cavanaugh.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Thus begins their longest Christmas Eve together.

A New Year Together Chapter 5

It was 10:30pm by the time Maura drove home alone to Beacon Hill. After checking the bodies in at the morgue she established a security protocol limiting access to prevent any details leaking to the press. She did not perform the autopsies herself as she knew the victims and because Jane was lead on the case, but she was there overseeing each step as her most experienced assistants processed the bodies and the forensic evidence.

After taking a shower she got into bed but was not able to relax. Emails, calls and texts came in from friends and associates with the different philanthropic foundations with whom she worked. Word spread rapidly once the Crowningshield's social event was cancelled.

Many of the people did not know she was the state's medical examiner, they only knew her through the Isles Foundation. A few knew that she was associated with the Boston Police Department. She could commiserate on the loss of such prominent figures in their world but she could not and would not share any information from the scene. She watched the eleven o'clock news; every station led with the story. Every station had reporters on the scene, but they had little substance to report other than the identities of the victims and that it was believed to be a home invasion.

Closing her eyes for a moment she felt an enormous wave of sadness wash over her. She needed to process all that had happened today starting with her test results. She felt betrayed by her body. Despite a healthy life style, her almost obsessive pursuit of wellness, this one thing she wanted, this fundamental organic function of her gender was not to be. Although she knew it was not her fault it still felt like a blow to her confidence as a woman and as a partner.

It didn't seem like the day could get any worse after the appointment but life had a way of putting things into perspective. What had happened to the Crowningshields, what had happened in that home was unspeakable. A reminder that everything in life was relative, that horrible things could happen to good people. Her face flushed, heated with shame. She felt selfish to be so focused on herself when something so heinous had happened.

Glancing at the clock on the table she realized it was now Christmas Eve day. She welled up thinking of how happy they had been just yesterday talking about how and when they would be starting their family and sharing the news of their engagement. Shaking her head she reached for some Kleenex to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. This was not the way she wanted Jane to find her when she got home tonight.

She got up from the bed and went to the safe. Pulling out their rings she sat down holding them in the light of the table lamp. Sliding her ring onto her finger she gently put Jane's back in the box on her night table.

For the three or four years before Jane moved in with her, she had thought of herself as someone who would probably never marry. She remembered that day a few years ago laughing on the couch when she told Jane she was thinking of freezing her eggs.

Her inability to make lasting connections with romantic partners compounded by her unusual relationship with Jane meant there had been few serious prospects for a life partner. Although they were platonic she and Jane spent more time together than she had with any previous significant other. She found the emotional connection she had been longing for in her friendship with Jane and her family. Her profession was a calling that fulfilled her on a daily basis; her philanthropic work gave her purpose and spiritual fulfillment. Maura had almost resigned herself to being celibate when they finally initiated the steps that changed their lives.

Even then she did not feel a need for anything formal or official. She knew that this was it for her. That there was no other place she'd rather be. A ceremony, a piece of paper would not change anything for her. By the time Jane moved in with her they realized that they had in fact long ago become exclusive so Maura asked if she could make arrangements with her legal team that should something happen to either of them they would both be taken care of. That was enough for her.

But when they began talking about starting a family she was surprised how much she wanted to make it official. Not just legally for the children but because this next step brought such an emotional depth and richness to her life, a connection to the world around her.

She didn't want today's setback to become a roadblock to that happiness.

Both had experienced heartache and disappointment before. They had worked horrible cases in the past. There would be more of both in their future. Both had developed coping strategies in the past that may not have been the healthiest. Jane drank far too much, would run, box, work out far too often, she could withdraw for days when working on a bad case.

She herself would spend nights alone on the couch or in bed reading her way through her pain, watching documentaries, going overboard with on-line shopping and spending far too much time alone in her yoga room just sitting in the quiet, treating the heartache like a physics equation.

Now both had some checks and balances in their lives, someone to lean on and also someone to support. They could be vulnerable and confess to being afraid without feeling judged or weakened. It was ok not to be perfect all the time. To share their darker thoughts and feelings of regret without needing explanations or answers, just warm arms and soothing kisses. There were ups and downs as they learned about each other's moods but through trial and error they began opening themselves up to a level of trust and a commitment neither one had felt before.

Checking her phone hoping for a message from Jane she heard the front door close and lock. Keys jangled and boots were kicked off. She knew Jane would be seriously double-checking the doors and windows tonight after seeing what had happened in Belmont.

Eventually she heard soft steps on the stairs then Jane came around the corner. Her hair was down, her shirt untucked, belt and pants undone.

"Jane?" Maura's eyebrows arched.

Shaking her hair out, she put a bottle of water down on her night table before taking her shirt off over her head not bothering with the buttons.

"I had to pee so bad, Maur, I didn't think I was gonna make it in from the car." She peeled her slacks down, pulled off her socks and bra and slid in under the covers.

"I'm sorry about your friends, Maur, that had to have been really hard today, on top of this morning. How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm ok, just exhausted as I'm sure you are. We can talk in the morning or later tomorrow."

Jane rolled onto her back and pulled her hair back from her face. "I haven't seen anything like this. There has to be something else going on here. This was not just some guys looking for drugs or money." She rubbed her face and then rolled back on her side. "The FBI is coming in on the case. Thom's work at the National Institute of Health apparently involved some pretty high-level security clearances. We're hoping they can shed some light on this."

"Will you be working with Ciara again?"

"Not sure, but whoever it is they'll all be at the meeting in the morning."

Maura traced her fingers along her cheekbones. "What time do you need to be in? I'm meeting my staff at 7:30."

We're meeting at 8. Have breakfast with me before we go?"

"I'm planning on it. Come here honey, let me hold you." She reached over to turn off her lamp. "Do you think I should postpone our vacation trip? I can reschedule it for later in January if you can get the time off."

"I don't know, hon. Its hard to tell how this is gong to go but it's way too high profile for Cavanaugh to let me take the time off. You heard him, its all hands on deck. Everyone's vacations have been cancelled and we're expected to work through the holiday until we have a better sense of what happened."

Maura folded her hands around Jane's and brought them closer to her heart. "Will you be able to have dinner with us on Thursday? What about Midnight Mass?"

"Hey, are you wearing your ring?" Jane propped herself up on an elbow.

Maura entwined their fingers together. "I wanted this day to end on a more positive note," she whispered. "It's Christmas Eve Jane, we are now officially engaged."

She rolled away for a second and then rolled back with the opened box and took out the second ring.

"Will you marry me Jane Rizzoli?" Her voice wavered from the heartache and self doubt she had been fighting all day.

Jane watched her put the ring on her finger then turn and kiss her tenderly. She knew that Maura was asking if Jane's feelings had changed. Jesus, she would do anything to take this pain away. She swallowed thickly against the lump in her throat. Her jaw twitched trying to hold back her own tears. Hugging her tight, wrapping arms and legs around her she returned the kiss slowly, deeply. When she was done, she rested her cheek against Maura's face, her lips next to her ear.

"No matter how many times you ask me Dr. Isles, my mind is made up. You could ask me every day and my answer will be the same. I want to be by your side for the rest of our lives. We are getting married."

Settling into her arms, Maura laid her head next to Jane's heart. Their voices faded softly into the darkness.

"Merry Christmas Jane."

"Merry Christmas, Maura."


	6. Chapter 6

A New Year Chapter 6

This is one of Jane's favorite things.

One of their most intimate moments even though she is not close enough to even touch her.

Watching Maura getting dressed elicited feelings that battled between arousal and powerful reverence. Jane had never been very interested in visual erotica, but lying in bed some mornings she could find it hard to breathe.

Maura was naturally beautiful, so graceful and intriguingly feminine. Jane suspected these feelings were because of all the times she had denied herself Maura, wanting her from afar. Now she knew what her skin felt like; soft and smooth. How her mouth felt on blushing skin, what those arms and hands felt like on her own body.

"Are you getting up soon?" Maura asked eyeing the clock. "If you want to have breakfast before we go…"

With a smile and a sigh she sat up on her side of the bed, wishing they could have more time this morning.

Before getting out of the car at the precinct garage, they held hands for a moment. Maura had returned the rings to the safe left but Jane still ran her finger around Maura's as if feeling for the ring.

Maura was anxious about her meeting with the relatives of the Crowningshields. Thom's two adult children from a previous marriage had flown in late last night and Margaret came from a large well-known New England family.

"Call me if you need to. I don't think the meeting with the FBI will go too long this morning."

Leaning over to kiss her, Maura nodded then turned to step out of the car. "I'll call you when we're done."

Stepping out of the elevator into a hive of activity, Jane weaved her way around and through the crowd to get to Cavanaugh's office. The door was shut but she could hear voices. She found Korsak in the computer room with several of the other detectives who had been assigned to the case. She stood behind Nina's chair watching the feeds from traffic cameras and ID photos of people scrolling on the monitors up on the wall.

"What do you have?" Jane nudged Korsak's elbow.

"Hey, Jane." He handed her a folder. "FBI picked up two guys in New Jersey late last night outside of Newark. Here's the paperwork for the meeting. We'll get a briefing on what came in last night and Sean's working out assignments with the Bureau right now. Things are moving fast, this case is getting a lot of resources from the highest levels."

"That is great," Jane nodded with relief flipping through the file. She stopped to read the follow up from the interviews with the nanny and the other people who worked for the Crowningshields. She looked up at the monitors and saw footage from the Crowningshield's outdoor surveillance cameras the security reps had forwarded.

"Jane?"

She turned to see Agent Ramsey from the FBI in the hallway. She looked like a different person than the one Jane had met just last week on the New Hampshire kidnapping case. Well rested and looking professional in her suit with a portfolio tucked under her arm.

She smiled and held out her hand, "Ciara, how are you?"

"Good, I'm good. Glad to be back in the city and home with Siobhan. How are you, you seem to be a magnet for tough cases?"

Jane grimaced, "Yeah, this one is pretty bad. But it's good to see you, are you the lead agent, I hope?"

Ciara nodded. "Just for the crime scene location and securing the suspects when they get here. The rest is being handled by people way above my pay grade. We're waiting for them to hook up a live feed for the videoconference with the D.C. offices. I'm hoping we can wrap this up pretty quickly."

Jane agreed moving toward the already packed conference room. She noticed when Martinez came in with another detective from the drug unit. Cavanaugh stood at the front, his tie loosened, shirt collar unbuttoned, his suit rumpled.

The 4 big screen monitors on the walls suddenly flashed a few times and then glowed brightly filling the room with headshots of very official looking men. The audio crackled and hummed as the room quieted down. Cavanaugh began the meeting by introducing the primary detectives and agents from Boston who were working the case and then he handed it over to Agent Ramsey. When the D.C. agents on the monitors introduced themselves Jane sat up straighter in her chair. This was way bigger than she had imagined. Assistant Directors from Drug Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Homeland Security and the U.S. Justice Department were speaking on the screens.

Her head was spinning when she left the room. She could not have invented this scenario. It read like something out of a Tom Clancy novel. While she and Korsak waited in the hallway for Cavanaugh, she texted Maura the good news about the suspects. Martinez joined them handing Jane a couple of notebooks.

"Its all in there. Everything we have from local ties with the Arellano-Felix Organization. Let me know if you need anything else Rizzoli. And by the way, your brother was a big help with this."

Jane was surprised at how amenable Martinez was being. She assumed it was the enormity of this case. Everyone came out of that conference room with an unusual attitude of cooperation. They wanted this wrapped up with as little fall out as possible. The press conference had been postponed until 4pm this afternoon when they would have the suspects back in Boston. The AG and Justice Department reps were meeting to make sure everyone's statements were worded properly and their ongoing operations and assets would be protected. The good news was the Attorney Generals' office would be handling the press and their questions letting Cavanaugh off the hook.

Jane and Korsak spent the next two hours writing up reports and following up with the information Martinez had given them. Ciara had left to monitor her team that was assisting with returning the suspects to Boston.

By noon they were both ready for a break. While they waited for lunch to be delivered they took a few minutes to step away from the table, stretch and clear their minds.

Maura looked up from her desk, folding her laptop sitting back in her chair. "How did the meetings go? Any more news about the suspects?"

Jane nodded. She had been watching Maura for a minute from the hallway. She was working quietly at her desk, the light of her desk lamp casting a golden glow around her, classical music playing softly. Her eyes looked red and she had her glasses on so Jane wondered if she might have been crying earlier.

"How did it go this morning with the family?"

Maura shook her head, a frown wrinkling her forehead, her lips pulled tight. "It was very difficult. You can imagine their shock at learning that not only were Thom and Margaret deceased but had been murdered, brutally. They are with victim's services and some FBI agents right now."

Jane was limited in what she could share even with Maura and it was for the better. They were given explicit instructions about what could and could not be discussed to ensure everyone's safety and due to the relationship of this case with on going undercover operations across the country.

"They have two guys in custody who should be back in Boston by this afternoon. They were picked up in New Jersey by the airport. The press conference has been bumped up to 4pm."

"Jane that's great news!" Maura looked relieved. "Were they looking for drugs?" her voice was lowered.

Jane nodded. "They were part of a drug ring that both BPD, the DEA and the FBI had been trying to crack for awhile now. They were suspected of other break-ins in other places."

Drugs were a part of this. So was kidnapping, human trafficking and murder. The fight against drugs that was focused on the US Mexican border had once again reached Boston. And for the Crowningshields it was all a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That story would have to do for now.

Jane glanced at her buzzing phone. Lunch had arrived.

Taking off off her glasses Maura came around the desk to pull Jane in for a hug. "I'm so glad this is going to be over quickly. I can't imagine how awful this is for their family especially around the holidays."

Jane nodded rubbing her cheek against her hair, inhaling the familiar soothing fragrance.

"Will you be home in time for dinner tonight? Can I let Angela know everyone will be there by 7?"

"I think we're good to go right after the press conference around 5. When will you be done?"

"I'm hoping to be out by 3 today. We haven't had any more call outs today. I was going to go home and help your mother get things started in the kitchen. Do you want me to come back and pick you up?"

"No, Frankie will still be here or I'll catch a ride with a uniform. Traffic will be a mess with last minute shopping and people leaving early from work."

Maura nuzzled into her warm neck for a moment, running her hands up from her waist to her shoulders. She leaned back looking up with at her with big hazel eyes and a shy smile.

"Do you still want to tell everyone tonight… about…our engagement?"

Jane smiled and leaned down to answer with a kiss. "Yeah. Everyone is going to want to celebrate; it's Christmas Eve, a big case off the table, the day off tomorrow. I know you're still sad about our meeting with Dr. Ashby but you've been planning this for over a month, Maura." She pulled Maura in closer, resting her chin on her head.

"I feel like the rest of my life is about to begin, again. And once again, you are the reason. It's hard to explain, I don't have the words."

Maura pulled back to look at her.

Jane smiled. "I don't know," she shrugged, tilting her head. "I feel like I'm growing up, finally. I love the idea of being married to you. Just thinking about it makes me so… happy doesn't begin to describe how I feel. And when the time comes, we'll start our family." She brushed Maura's hair back, smiling into her eyes. "You have made my life so much more than I could have imagined Maura. I want to feel this way forever. I want to try and do the same for you."

Maura's face beamed with a smile and then she a sob broke out of her chest as if she had been holding her breath.

"I want this too, Jane. For now and forever," she whispered, her voice breaking.

They held each other for a few moments and then Maura wiped her cheeks. "You better go back upstairs before Vince eats your lunch, sweetheart," she laughed.

"K. Call me when you're ready to leave, all right?"

Maura nodded, smoothing her blouse and skirt. "I will. See you soon."

Jane headed back upstairs with a little extra swagger in her step, struggling to hide the grin on her face. Looking out the windows she saw snow starting to fall. People were calling "Merry Christmas" as they pulled on their coats, shutting off their computers and heading for the door. Everyone else was hustling to wrap up loose ends so they too could get home.

"Hey, Vince!" she called out striding into the break room. "Let's get this stuff done! We've got a party to go to tonight!"


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Finally…Christmas Eve. Snow is falling and everyone is home safe and sound gathered around the table for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. A chapter inspired by comments from reader tlc125. Thanks for hanging in there and this one's for you and everyone else still reading.

A New Year Together Chapter 7

Jane shifted the bag with the Champagne bottles to her right hip as she reached for the doorknob. She inhaled deeply as a blast of warm air hit her reddened cheeks. Her senses were briefly overwhelmed with the sights, sounds and smells of her mother's Christmas Eve dinner. She could hear Maura laughing, her mother shouting Tommy's name, Sinatra's Christmas Collection playing in the background.

Stamping her feet and shaking snow off her hair and coat she stepped into the hallway and set the bag down on the table. The fireplace was blazing; she could see the dining room table already loaded with food.

"Jane's here!" Caroline, Frankie's girlfriend called out as she swept up to her with a plate of something that smelled wonderful. "You're home! Jane's home!" she shouted over the noise.

"Hi Caro, Merry Christmas!" She snagged a scallop wrapped in bacon off the plate. "Omygawd, these are unbelievable! Did you make these?" she asked reaching for another.

"Frankie said they were everyone's favorite." Jane laughed. Frankie found himself a keeper if this gorgeous woman liked to cook too.

"Janie, Janie, Janie!" shouted TJ as he steamrolled into her legs.

"Hey little man…mwah!" she picked him up and planted a long, loud exaggerated kiss on his cheek. "How are you Boo?" She nuzzled his cheek again.

"Look at what Nana gave me!" He held up a Lego helicopter in his tiny fist.

'Whoa, that is awesome. Did you put that together?" She carried him and the bags into the kitchen.

"Mo-Mo helped me." She smiled at the thought of Maura playing with the Legos. "Of course she did."

"JANE!" shouted Angela as if she had been gone for twenty years.

"All right, I'm sorry I'm late, I'm here, everything smells so great, lets eat, I am starving!" She put the bags on the counter and set TJ on the floor. She leaned over to kiss Maura on the cheek as she was untying her apron and then put the Champagne in the fridge.

"Jane," she murmured slowly kissing her back with a loving smile.

Jane shivered as she turned to hug her mother. She punched Tommy on the shoulder on her way by him. "Nice antlers bro," she laughed flicking the little bell on them. He looked like a goof ball with the headband, but a happy, relaxed goofball.

Sounds of laughter and shouts of "Merry Christmas" came from the entryway as Korsak and Frankie arrived followed by Nina and her boyfriend Jesse. Jane looked over at Maura who was beaming as she peeked into the oven. Her face was flushed a rosy pink, her blonde hair slightly mussed from the steam in the kitchen. Black wool slacks and her dark jade V-neck cashmere sweater were tailored for her curves.

"Grab those dishes Jane they're ready to go on the table and be careful some of them are hot," Angela slapped her arm with the potholders.

"Ok, Ok!" She laughed blushing as she picked up the bowl of linguine with clams. Christ, caught by her mother ogling her girlfriend…fiancée…soon to be wife. Jane's chest felt like it was going to burst.

"Let's eat!" she shouted heading into the dining room.

Frankie groaned leaning back away from the table. "I can't even…another bite," he moaned, wiping his face. Caroline rubbed his back. They all took a moment to take in the carnage that was the dining room table. You could not fit another platter, bowl, or dish on the table. They had done some serious damage but there was still quite a bit left from the feast.

"Ma, how do you do this? Every year your Seven Fishes dinner turns out to be like 25 dishes. This so awesome." Tommy reached across TJ to push the platter of Struffoli away from him. His little fingers were covered with powdered sugar and honey, his mouth and pudgy cheeks sticky. "Enough, buddy you're gonna get sick."

"I had a lot of help Tommy. Maura came home early from work." She reached over to squeeze Maura's hand. "We're so lucky to have our family dinners here in your beautiful home. Salute, Maura!"

Everyone raised their glasses toward Maura who tilted her head shyly murmuring thank you. Jane leaned over to kiss her blushing cheek.

"Thank you Maura and Jane, for inviting us this year. Mrs. Rizzoli dinner was wonderful."

"Thank you Nina, I'm so glad you and Jess could make it. And please, it's Angela."

Jane smiled as she reached under the table to gently squeeze Maura's thigh. She was happy for her mother, happy to see her surrounded by family and friends. Sean arrived a bit later as he had to wrap things up at the precinct but he was here now sitting by Angela's side.

"Who's ready for coffee?" Angela started to get up from the table.

"Ma, wait." Jane asked loudly. Her heart was pounding, she wasn't sure if she could breathe. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at her.

She swallowed as she felt Maura take her hand. Standing up slowly, she looked around the table blushing furiously as she saw all eyes on her.

"What is it Jane?" Angela's voice wavered as she sat down.

Jane looked down at Maura who slowly stood up, encouraging her with a smile and sliding a hand across her lower back.

"We have something we wanted to share with everyone. We're glad everyone could be here…for dinner…and the holiday." Jane's voice was stuck. She glanced down and saw through blurry eyes that Maura had taken her hand.

"What Jane would like to tell you is that…she lifted Jane's hand up toward her chest and slowly put the diamond ring on her finger…is that Jane asked me to marry her and I have accepted." She held out her own hand to show them her ring.

Not a sound was made.

Then pandemonium broke out.

Jane pulled Maura's face in for a kiss and everyone was up and shouting, arms were hugging, laughter, tears, TJ pulling at their legs trying to get picked up. Maura hands curled into Jane's shirtfront as they kissed and kissed again.

Angela pulled Maura over into a smothering hug kissing both of her cheeks once, twice, three times. Frankie and Tommy were sandwiching Jane who held a crying TJ to her chest, rubbing his back.

"Its OK TJ, we're ok, Boo. We're not hurt. We're just really happy, that's why everyone's crying.

"OK? Not hurt? Happy? His face was scrunched up, his hands squeezing her for face for dear life.

"Yeah, we're happy, baby. Mo-Mo and I are getting married!"

"Let me take him," Tommy reached out and pulled TJ into his arms, carrying him over to a quiet spot in the living room. "Let's go see if we can find your ornament on the tree again buddy."

Frankie hugged her again. "Congratulations Jane. She's lucky to have you. Just…make sure you care of her," he teased with a smile.

"Nice, baby brother. Is there anyone not crushing on my fiancée?" she laughed. "You know, you got someone right over there who's not only gorgeous but seems to know all your favorite foods! I think you're gonna have your hands full." Frankie blushed as he laughed and went over to hug Maura.

"So happy for you Jane, congratulations!" Sean and Vince both gave her a fatherly hug and patted her on the shoulder. Jesse shook her hand. Caroline and Nina were oohing and aahing over the ring on Maura's hand.

Jane turned to see Angela coming, arms reaching for her, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so happy for you baby. They hugged for several long minutes, Jane unable to stop her own tears now.

"Merry Christmas, Ma," she whispered.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Caution: Adult behavior included in this chapter. A slightly tipsy Jane and a very playful Dr. Isles.

A New Year Together Chapter 8

"Buona Notte Angela, goodnight Lieutenant!" Maura called out as Angela and Sean walked through the snow over to the guesthouse.

They had returned for a nightcap after Midnight Mass. Frankie and Caroline went home from Church as the snow had started to really come down. Tommy had taken TJ home earlier. After opening a few presents the little guy had pooped out on the couch clutching his Minion stuffy.

Banking the fire, Jane was singing along to the Little Drummer Boy.

"Pa-rump-a-bum-bum. Our newborn King to see pa-rump-a-bum-bum."

Off key and giggling, she was feeling pretty good after several glasses of wine with dinner, a couple of flutes of Champagne to celebrate their wedding announcement and then a few large mugs of hot buttered rum to warm her up after Mass.

Maura came out of the downstairs bathroom and turned off the lights in the kitchen, listening for a moment with a smile before going in to turn off the tree lights.

"Maur…" Jane got up off the hearth brushing her hands off. She sauntered over with her hands out asking to dance. When Maura laughed and put her arms around her neck Jane bent down to pull her hips up so her legs were straddling her waist. "Hmmm, you smell so wonderful," she hummed, nuzzling her neck under her hair.

"You're pretty frisky for 2 o'clock in the morning. Are you ready to go upstairs or should we sleep down here tonight?" She traced a few fingers down into the v of Jane's sweater and then up over her collarbones.

"I think I'd like to sleep in our bed now that we are 'officially' engaged. Besides, she whispered, I don't know what time Tommy's coming back with TJ in the morning and I don't him to find his aunts naked on the couch!"

Maura leaned in to kiss her mouth, the tip of her tongue trailing along her lips.

"Do you know, she kissed her again, we haven't, kiss, kiss, made love, another kiss, since we decided, kiss, to get married?" She tilted her head, green eyes wide and sparkling.

Jane laughed heartily, swinging them around before putting her down on her feet. "I see where this is going Mrs. "Whatever" we're going to call ourselves. What are we going to call ourselves?" She shrugged at her own question.

"Obviously I have been shirking my duties in the bedroom. Well, that is about to change you adorable, wonderful, gorgeous woman." Bending at the knees, Jane swooped down with a laugh lifting Maura up under her knees and arms and carrying her to the stairway.

With a giggle, Maura brushed Jane's hair back over her shoulders and gazed lovingly at her. She loved it when Jane was playful and demonstrative. "Thank you for a wonderful night, Jane. _Ti amo_."

"Oh, we are not done yet my little Italian speaking snowflake," she grunted carrying her up the stairs. Kicking the bedroom door shut behind them she lay Maura down on the bed leaning in to kiss her smiling lips. "Be right back, I gotta use the bathroom."

"I'll be waiting, Jane." Maura answered in a sultry voice as she sat up on the bed and began to undress.

"Oh no, no you don't, don't you dare start without me, I'll be right back!" She slid across the floor in her socks to the en suite banging the door shut.

Less than two minutes later Jane snapped the bathroom light off and stood for a moment watching Maura. Dancing sexily across the room she unzipped her pants and pulled off her shirt before sitting next to a partially dressed Maura laying back in the glow of her lamp and whose hand slowly slid a bra strap down over her shoulder until her nipple peeked out over the lace.

"I thought I might _unwrap_ one of your presents for you tonight."

Jane's face went slack, her eyes fluttered before looking up into her eyes. Love, laughter and joy spread across Maura's blushing face.

Glancing down Jane almost choked to see her other hand move down inside her delicate, silk panties. Watching her fingers move under the black silk, sliding over her mons and rubbing little circles, Jane swallowed opening her mouth to breathe.

"Wait, wait, WAIT!" she whispered. "I wanna…" Jane finished taking off her clothes and knelt closer beside her on the bed.

Maura couldn't help rocking her hips, breathing harder as Jane reached toward her. Anticipating her touch, she watched as her long fingers slipped just inside the waist of her panties and then stopped, leaving her fingers hooked just inside. She felt the burn of her fingertips pressing circles into the back of her own hand, teasing her. With a sultry grin she slid her hand down lower as Jane pulled the panties back to watch.

Both were breathing heavily now. Her breasts felt that familiar ache as Jane leaned down kissing her stomach, kissing her way up to her breast, her warm wet tongue flicking around her firm nipple. She reached into her bra lifting her other breast out of the cup.

She could not hold back the moan as Jane closed her mouth around her and began to suck hungrily. Without letting go Jane moved on the bed so Maura could reach over and rub her hand between Jane's legs, pulling aside her briefs to touch her gently, moving her fingertips until one was just barely inside her as Jane spread her legs wider. She felt Jane groan her appreciation around her nipple. Arching up against her mouth, panting hoarsely, she ran her hand through her hair holding her head against her breast.

Sliding down under her panties, Jane's hand was cupping Maura's as they slowly circled and then entered her, their fingers slipping together into her vagina. Jane pushed inside gently and withdrew slowly letting Maura determine the pace. When she felt her hips start to rapidly hunch up she pulled out to rub slow little circles around her clit making it slippery with her arousal. With a gasp Maura suddenly squeezed her legs together and both of their hands became wet.

Her own hips were rocking, riding Maura's hand until she began to pulse around her fingers. Sitting up she reached over to grab the headboard watching Maura's hand between her legs, her breasts heaving. Maura spread her other hand across Jane's abs before sliding down to thumb her clit, watching the emotions play across her face.

Pushing hard one last time, head back and body taut, her thighs shook.

"Maur, Maur, _Maur…_her voice called out through clenched teeth, praying, pleading, until her breath softly drained away.

She reached down and gently pulled Maura's fingers out and slowly slumped down onto the bed.

After catching her breath Maura snuggled into her arms, rolling over to slide a knee across her thighs. Laying her head on her chest, she massaged her chest and shoulder, combing a hand through her wild, dark hair.

"Ti amo," she murmured, leaving soft kisses above her petite breasts. "Sento che si respira, il battito del tuo cuore, qui, mi trattiene."

Jane couldn't focus enough to speak. The room was spinning and she saw stars when she closed her eyes. Her breathing finally slowed. The combination of the very long day, the emotional dinner, and perhaps too much to drink had finally caught with her.

"My heart is so full right now," was all she could manage. She slid her hands down over Maura's warm back pulling her closer, kissing the top of her head. She reached to pull the tangled duvet up over them, nestling her arms and legs all snug around her.

Christmas morning was just a few hours away with another full day with the family before they could fly out Friday morning for their vacation in the Caribbean.

They were both sound asleep in minutes.

AN2: Translation "I love you," she murmured, leaving soft kisses above her petite breasts. "I hear you breathe, the beating of your heart, here, holding me."


	9. Chapter 9

A New Year Together Chapter 9

Jane settled back into her luxurious reclining seat accepting the Mimosa from the steward. She couldn't believe how much more leg room there really was up here in first class. She stretched out, setting her flute down on the tray. Turning to look at Maura, she had a huge grin on her face.

"What? What are you grinning about?" teased Maura.

"I can't believe I'm drinking a Mimosa at 8 o'clock in the morning and we're going to be swimming at a beach this afternoon." She leaned forward to look around Maura out the window. Plows were still clearing the runways after yesterday's Christmas storm that dropped close to 9 inches of snow.

They had spent the day opening presents with the family, eating left overs, snuggling in front of the fire after shifts of shoveling, snow ball fights and trekking to the convenience store when they realized they were all out of both fluff and marsh mellows for TJ's hot chocolate.

Fortunately they had made arrangements days ago for Maura's car service to pick them up for the early ride to the airport.

Maura took her hand and held her fingers, their rings touching. She finished her drink and leaned back, reclining as they waited for the doors to be pulled shut and the plane to taxi away from the gate. "I'm looking forward to some sightseeing, napping, French cuisine and shopping," she smiled.

"So, you're bringing me along to be your designated driver, to carry your shopping bags?"

Maura's lips twitched. She ran her tongue around in her cheek, her eyes sparkling. "That and I thought we might be able to practice for my honeymoon. I want to make sure I can please my wife."

Jane blushed furiously, eyebrows arched looking around to see if anyone else had heard.

Maura laughed, covering her mouth with a hand, happy to see Jane hot and bothered. She brought Jane's hand to her lips for a quick kiss. "I promise I'll be good, Jane. Forgive me?" Her head tilted, the tip of her tongue touching the corner of her lip and her bright hazel eyes foreshadowed she'd be anything but behaving.

Jane's squeezed her hand as she sat back, eyes closed, grinning from ear to ear. "You packed it didn't you?"

Maura tried not to laugh. "What?"

"You packed our …little friend. How did you get it through security?"

Maura sat quietly until Jane turned her head opening one eye to squint at her.

"I didn't. I had a new one shipped down to our hotel. It will be waiting for you at the desk when we check in."

Jane burst out laughing. She leaned over whispering "Dr. Isles, you little minx!"

She giggled and lay back, imaging all the fun they could have the next few days in paradise.

They had been in the air for over an hour when Maura closed her iPad and turned to Jane. "What are you watching?'

Jane was munching popcorn captivated by the movie on the screen in front of her. "Captain America," she grinned like a kid in a candy store.

Maura watched it for a few minutes then went back to her iPad but couldn't seem to settle. When she saw that Jane's movie was ending she closed her iPad and turned toward her.

"Can you tell me what happened with the Crowningshield case? I know they didn't tell us everything in the press conference."

Jane sighed, her face thoughtful.

"Please Jane? I promise…."

Jane knew Maura could be trusted with the information. And the fact she had known the Cowningshields meant it might help her put the horrible case behind her. Jane reached over to hold her hand and lowered her voice.

The nanny, Teresa Medina was actually in a witness protection program for the US. She had been kidnapped by a drug cartel like so many others while trying to cross the border into Arizona from Mexico. She was sold into the human trafficking network at the age of 16 but rescued during a sting in Atlanta by the FBI and National Center for Missing Children when she was 18.

She agreed to be a witness with the Department of Justice to build a case against the Sinaloa Federation cartel that controlled the borders in the Mexico - Arizona area. They were responsible for the majority of drugs flooding in to the US and the human trafficking of immigrants since 2001.

A human rights organization program that placed refugees in homes, schools and businesses to help integrate them into the country had found her the job with the Crowningshields.

Teresa had been working for them as a live in nanny for five years and had become part of the family helping to raise the children and take care of their homes in Belmont and Washington DC. It was during a family vacation trip to California that Teresa had run into a young man, someone she had known as a child. What she did not know was he was now working for a cartel. He was a "junior" in the Arellano-Felix Organization, the drug cartel at war with the Sinaloa Federation for control of the border and shipping routes into the United States.

They met for coffee and lunch during her week in San Diego chatting about their hometown and families. Theresa told him she had gone to school in the Texas before taking this job. Unfortunately, Teresa did not report the contact with the Marshalls assigned to her case. She thought she would never see her childhood friend from Ensenada again.

Word of Teresa's involvement with a wealthy American family made its way up the chain until it reached the right people or in this case, the wrong ones. Two high ranking members of the AFO discovered Teresa was a federal witness and knew she would be worth a lot of money to both the Sinaloa's who would be very interested in stopping her from testifying about the human trafficking network and the US who needed her testimony in the Atlanta case.

It had not taken them long to track her back to New England. The Crowningshields had no idea of Teresa's background other than she had been on the streets as a teenager and like many others like her; they were helping her through one of their philanthropic organizations.

The arrival of Francisco and Javier Arellano-Felix four days ago in the Boston area had not gone unnoticed by the FBI and the Justice department. They had been on a watch list for drug smuggling, kidnap and murder for several years. They were being tailed hoping they could lead the drug unit to a large shipment expected to arrive in the Boston-New Bedford area. Nothing rang any bells when they drove their van out to Belmont. They had only one undercover car assigned to them.

It was only when the security company tapes showed the same van making several trips past the Crowningshields estate earlier in the day that the pieces began to fall into pace. The license plate of the van was flagged in the system as under surveillance. It was believed the driver of the van had dropped off Felix and Javier who then hiked back through the woods to the mansion while the driver waited to be called to pick up them and Teresa.

Discovering Teresa was not there they tried to force the Crowningshields to tell them where she was and to open their home safe. They were interrupted by a phone call picked up by the answering machine from the security company confirming the arrival shortly of the security team that would be going over last minute details of the charity event that night.

Teresa and the children arrived home shortly after the brothers had left and before the security team could arrive.

None of this had come out on the press conference. It would be treated as a home invasion with suspects apprehended. There were too many undercover operations tied into this case from New England to California to divulge anything more. Homeland Securities involvement would mean Felix and Javier could likely disappear without a trace.

Maura carefully wiped her eyes with a tissue trying to avoid smudging her mascara and eyeliner.

"I'm sorry Maura."

"Thank you for telling me Jane. It's just so sad, so senseless," she squeezed Jane's hand.

Jane wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her head to her lips.

"It's over honey." She smiled encouragingly. "Let's think about sunny beaches, shopping, French cuisine." She waggled her eyebrows. "Honeymoon rehearsal?"

Maura tilted her head with a crooked smile. "Thank you." She looked at her watch. "We should be landing in about 40 minutes."

The next morning the sky was just beginning to lighten when Jane opened her eyes. Maura was lying on her stomach sound asleep beside her. She could see the silhouette of her bare back, her beautiful bottom curving up under the sheet.

Smiling at the sound of Maura's light snoring, Jane quietly slid out of bed and went into the bathroom. Turning the light back off before she opened the bathroom door so as not to disturb her she quietly grabbed her robe from the chair at the foot of the bed and slipped it on. Opening the door of their room, she snuck down to the kitchen.

Trying not to make any noise she put some coffee on and opened the sliding door a little to watch the waves roll in scattering sandpipers at the waters edge.

Once the coffee was brewed, she took a cup out to the deck. Pulling a chair close to the edge she propped her feet up on the railing. Inhaling the aroma before enjoying the first sip, Jane closed her eyes and offered up a silent prayer of thanks for Maura coming into her life. Last night had been wonderful. The whole day had been amazing as she thought about her first trip to the Caribbean.

They had landed on the island around 2pm and after a short drive to their condo at the resort they had a quick lunch by the pool and headed for the beach. Neither wanted to spend too much time in the sun the first day so after a swim and a nap they went for an early dinner that lasted about two hours.

Jane felt a little uncomfortable in her dress and sandals but Maura insisted she looked gorgeous. She had packed a few outfits for Jane when she started to panic not knowing what to wear at a 5 star vacation resort. Maura did not want her to feel out of place and knew that they could always find something at a boutique if they had to.

Maura couldn't decide what to order there were so many wonderful dishes on the menu. She wanted Jane to try as many as possible. She ended up ordering the tasting menu that had eight courses; a taste of each of the main dishes and she chose a wine she knew Jane would like. They could not even think about dessert when they had finished.

They were one of several couples taking a moonlit walk on the beach which was followed by a brief stop for a drink at an outdoor bar with live music before they headed back to the condo.

Jane was impressed with everything she had seen so far. The gated community was well protected and she knew this resort was created with the wealthy and affluent tourist in mind. The staff was very polite and seemed to anticipate their every need. The clientele was indeed very affluent from the looks of the people at dinner. Jane did not think they were the only same sex couple vacationing at the resort but she did not want to make any assumptions. Everyone looked like the people she had met when she attended Maura's fundraising events for the Isles Foundation. She was surprised when Maura replied she did not recognize anyone there in the dining room.

It was still fairly early when they got back to the condo. While Maura was busy in the bathroom Jane put her bathing suit on and brought an ice-cold bottle of beer out to the hot tub. She turned on the jets and a few of the underwater lights before easing her way into the water. Sitting for a moment looking out over the sea all she could hear was the soft breeze rustling the palm fronds and the waves softly breaking down on the beach. Laying her head back she found a sky full of stars.

Maura watched her from the living room for a moment before pinning up her hair and bringing her glass of wine out to the deck. She slipped out of her dark green silk robe and sapphire blue panties before stepping gingerly into the steaming tub across from Jane.

They sat quietly for a while enjoying the contrast of the hot bubbling water and the cool night breeze. After a few minutes, Jane slid across the tub holding her beer above the water. She took a long drink and then set the bottle down lowering herself until she was sitting between her legs with her back against Maura's chest and her head resting back against her shoulder.

Maura brushed her fingers along Jane's shoulders and arms watching the water foam around her chest. She loved these times when she got to be the big spoon. Reaching down along the sides of her legs she dragged her fingertips slowly up the front of her thighs toward her hips. Reached with her hand she found Jane's under the water and interlocked their fingers.

"It's beautiful here Maur. Thank you for bringing me."

Maura answered with a gentle kiss to her temple. "You're welcome."

"Can I…" her fingers trailed along her thin shoulder under her bathing suit strap.

"Mmmm," Jane closed her eyes running a hand along Maura's thigh.

Feeling her gentle squeeze as permission to continue, Maura slid the top of her suit down enough to expose her breasts at the water line. She leaned down to begin a trail of kisses along her shoulder to her neck. Responding with a sigh, Jane parted her legs pressing against Maura's thighs.

Releasing her fingers, Maura moved her hand across the front of Jane's hips while her other hand brushed over a breast, cupping the handful, running fingertips around the base of her nipple. She moved her kisses up her neck until she found that spot below her ear.

Jane softly rocked her hips against Maura's hand letting her know she wanted to be touched.

"Does this feel ok?" Maura whispered against her ear, sliding her fingers between her legs and under the band of her suit, her other hand gently kneading her breast.

"Uh-huh, feels good," Jane replied, her voice getting deeper. No lover had ever touched her with such tenderness before.

"Good," she whispered pulling her closer. Maura smiled, her eyes closing, her lips sliding down to nibble on her neck while her fingers lightly rubbed up and down over her cleft.

"Do you want me to take your suit off?"

Jane smiled leaning back into Maura's embrace. "K." She lifted her hips so Maura could slide the suit down over her waits and hips. She helped it down over her thighs and kicked it off from around her ankles. She reached down to grab it and set it on the side of the tub. Jane turned a little to her side so she was almost sitting in Maura's lap, one arm wrapped behind her shoulders. She slid a hand down over Maura's chest, fingers tracing around her collarbone, over and under her breasts.

Kissing her lips Jane whispered, "I love you so, so very much."

Maura responded by sliding one hand behind her neck and pulling her in for a full kiss, her tongue slowly entering her mouth exploring her, tasting her. Jane could hear soft little purring sounds.

Hands were caressing, circling, touching. Fingers were running through untamed dark hair, a hand was cupping a soft silky jaw. Fingers smoothed over shoulders and breasts as they continued to kiss urgently, taking a breath every now and then before blissfully resuming.

After several minutes, Maura sat back breathing heavily. She pressed her cheek against Jane's for a moment and sighed. She drew Jane's hand back into her own, slipping their fingers together.

"We need to get out now. We've been in here well past the recommended time."

"Are you concerned about getting pruney wrinkles Dr. Isles?" She lifted their hands to place a kiss on her fingertips.

Maura laughed. "Did you know studies have shown that the wrinkles in your fingers after soaking them in water allow you to better grip objects and in fact it may be part of an evolutionary process?"

Jane smiled into her kiss. "How about we shower off and then you can show me how evolutionary my…ah…wet fingers can be…in bed?" She brushed back the few wisps of dark blonde hair that the steam had curled out of her French knot.

She stood up in the tub, holding out a hand to help Maura step up. Her wet body glistened in the light of the soft lamp shining from the living room.

She climbed out behind her shivering in the cool night air.

"I have a few ideas we could…try," she whispered wrapping herself around Jane to warm her up.

Jane picked up her robe for her to put on and grabbed the bottle and wine glass.

Later, they had fallen asleep in each others arms after deciding the only thing they really must do the next day besides eating a late breakfast was to take a nap in one of the hammocks under the palm trees out by the beach.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Adult behaviors in this chapter. Jane, Maura, a beautiful tropical island. And this time Terri411, they won't leave you hanging!

A New Year Together Chapter 10

The warm sunny days flew by. Jane learned to snorkel and they hiked up Pic Paradise the highest point on the island. Maura visited the Tijon Parfumerie where she could blend her own fragrance. They took the ferry to Anguilla for an afternoon and then spent a morning shopping on Front Street. Each night was a different dining experience. They met a couple from Canada who were staying in a condo further up the beach and joined them for dinner. Marla taught engineering classes at the University of Toronto while Christopher worked from home as a software designer. They had three adult children who had given them this trip as a second honeymoon.

Napping was a priority. They made good use of the 2-person hammock, the chaise lounges on the beach and one afternoon in their huge bed with fewer clothes on and a fan gently blowing the ocean breeze around the room.

The second day, coming back from the beach for lunch, they found a note slipped under their door. A package had arrived for Jane, which could be picked up at the front desk of the main building. She tried to convince Maura to go pick it up since she was the one who ordered it. Maura rolled her eyes and continued to peel some shrimp and chop up the spinach and fixings for their salads. "It's in a plain white Fed Ex box, Jane. No one knows what is inside. Please, just go get it?" she added with puppy eyes.

They ate lunch in the shade on the deck while an expensive looking navy blue box with a dark purple ribbon sat waiting for them on the bed next to the empty Fed Ex box. Maura was convinced the arrival of the package had given Jane an extra swagger for the rest of the day.

They arranged to join a tour of the historic ruins at Fort Amsterdam that both women thought would be fun; Maura for the historical perspective and Jane for the cannons.

When a well-dressed, tanned very handsome gentleman in the group began to monopolize Maura's attention even following her from one section of the Fort to another, Jane's protective and possessive side emerged. She watched from a distance at first until she saw Maura suddenly turn to face her suitor with shoulders squared, speaking firmly while subtly glancing around. Jane walked over to politely intervene. When he continued to insist that Maura join him later for dinner Jane reached down to grasp Maura's hand in her own and drew herself up to her full height pushing her sunglasses up on her head. "My fiancée and I already have dinner plans but thank you. We hope you enjoy the rest of your tour," she said no longer smiling.

Taken aback, the man looked at first one then the other before he began to grin, his eyes sparkling. "Perhaps you both could join me, on my yacht for the evening."

Maura wrapped a firm hand around Jane's arm and started to pull her away before Jane could finish her response. They could hear his laughter all the way across the lawn.

Jane remained in protective mode for the rest of the day which meant the gorgeous young paddleboard instructor build like an Adonis who only meant to help lift Maura up onto her board turned to find Jane in his face staring at his hands on her hips and then into his eyes. He quickly moved on to another paddler in the group. Maura tried to hide her laugh as she stood up and paddled away.

By the time they returned home to watch the sunset from their beach with cocktails and h'orderves, Jane's body was taut, her muscles rippling from the afternoon's activities. Maura tried to calm her breathing and hold her arousal in check knowing that Jane would be coming to bed tonight expecting to be calling the shots. She was happy to let her have that assumption, for the first hour anyway.

Standing by the bed with her harness on, her skin darkened from the sun, her lithe body strong and coal black hair shining Jane was the image of power and grace. Maura struggled to speak as she watched her kneel on the bed. She loved the confidence and command that the once shy Jane now possessed when wearing the accessory.

Jane enjoyed every moment of the accessory as Maura first lay on her back with her legs up over Jane's shoulders, then kneeling with her head down on the pillows and finally straddling Jane for a third orgasm before collapsing to the bed spent, sweating and shaking. But tonight Jane would be the first to cry 'uncle' trying to keep up with talented Dr. Isles.

Rolling over to lie against her side, Maura gently removed the harness and dildo letting them slip to the floor. Jane slid up higher on the bed pulling her hair up off her neck trying to cool off.

"Do you need some water, something to drink?" Maura asked as she stroked a hand across Jane's stomach.

Shaking her head Jane grinned, "No, I'm good. Can I get you something?"

Maura sat up for a moment and then moved to straddle Jane's thighs. "I'm all set."

Jane, still catching her breath saw the look in her eyes and swallowed thickly thinking _uh-oh._

It was thirty minutes before Jane would feel Maura's fingers or mouth on any of her personal parts. Instead, Maura took her time stroking, massaging, sensually going over every other inch of her body with her strong hands, her lips just inches away blowing cool air on her skin. Every now and then she would slide up to spend some time kissing her with tongues. Jane had already pulled the bottom sheet off the bed, her hips hunching seeking resistance. Running her fingers through messy blonde hair, she tried to encourage Maura to move lower.

Instead, straddling Jane's hips she leaned forward until one of her own breasts aching to be touched brushed against Jane's lips. Gripping Maura's hips with one hand and running her other up over her back and shoulders Jane pulled her closer as she licked, sucked and nipped at her beautiful breasts. Moaning, she pulled as much of her breast into her mouth as she could, flicking the nipple with her tongue while pinching and pulling on her other one.

Sitting back up, Maura rocked her core back and forth over Jane's stomach her arousal making it slick. When Jane began to whimper she finally reached up to graze her dark pert nipples with fingertips and thumbs causing Jane to shoot up off the bed, gasping, shouting her name.

Another twenty minutes was now spent with Maura's fingers and mouth exploring closer to her erogenous zones perfectly timing her touches to bring Jane just to the edge before backing off. And then she felt it; Maura's two fingers pressing, circling just outside her vagina, her tongue lightly flicking her clit. That's all it took for Jane to explode.

"Do you feel that, do feel that, _doyoufeelthat_?" she hissed through clenched teeth, her vagina clamping down on her fingers, hips and head launching off the bed. Jane's last coherent thought before passing out was how great it was that there was still so many things to discover about her fiancée.

When she came to she was cradled in Maura's arms, rocking them gently, her lips humming softly against her cheek, the tangled sheets pulled up over them.

The next morning Maura arranged for a private couples massage after both groaning and laughing while stretching sore, aching muscles struggled to get out of bed.

Occasionally they went their separate ways, reporting back on what they saw, people they met. There was time for Maura to lounge under the palm trees reading the books and articles she had downloaded, catching up on her Serial podcasts, listening to her symphony selections.

Jane took the shuttle across the island to see a cricket match. She was shocked to find a co-ed adult field hockey match being played on the turf next to the cricket pitch. With a strong Dutch influence on the island, field hockey was one of their most popular sports for both men and women. It looked like a totally different sport than the one she had played in high school.

One evening was spent cuddling on the love seat they had brought out to the deck, watching the moon come up over the water. Jane had been trying to find a way to bring up the visit to the fertility clinic without upsetting Maura but it was she who was the first to broach the subject.

Resigning her self to not being the one to carry their baby she still wasn't convinced it was a good idea for Jane to do so. They talked about surrogacy and adoption. She agreed they should at least get Jane tested when they got back to Boston.

The rest of the evening they spent on a much happier subject, trying to sort out their wedding plans. Jane would be happy with what ever Maura decided but was anxious about adding any more stress to their lives. She knew her mother was probably already lining up venues, caterers and a band. Constance had been thrilled when they called her Christmas day with the news. She wanted to know as soon as they had some possible dates in mind so she could clear her schedule. She invited them to consider Paris for their honeymoon as her gift.

By their last day Jane was running three miles on the beach and Maura would swim in the resort's triathlon training pool. This time away from work and the cold Boston weather had done wonders for recharging their batteries and their spirits.

Their last night on the island was New Year's Eve. Jane had arranged a special dinner with the French chef asking if she would prepare three of the entrees that Maura liked most from the tasting menu. Maura was delighted with her choices and even more thrilled when the chef came out after dinner to sit with them sharing a bottle of Remy Martin. They spent some time chatting in French about the food and wine selections while Jane wandered around the small restaurant looking at the historical photos and art works.

Walking back arm in arm along the beach they stopped every now and then to look up at the thousands of stars and kiss. Looking out over the dark water Jane sighed. "Not looking forward to leaving tomorrow. This has been an amazing vacation, Maura. Thank you again."

"This has been one of the best weeks of my life Jane. Thank _you_." She turned to snuggle into Jane's chest, hips pressing against each other, loving the feel of her arms wrapped around her. "Maybe we should think about a place like this for our honeymoon?" she asked.

Nodding, Jane pressed her lips to her head. "Hmmm…maybe. Let's talk about it…after we've had some more practice," she grinned.

They got up from their bed to watch the fireworks at midnight, wrapped in just their robes on the deck. Jane had splurged on a very expensive bottle of champagne recommended by the chef and was pleased to see Maura's face light up at her first taste. They rocked slowly back and forth, Maura pressing back against Jane's chest wrapped in her arms. The light show was impressive and they couldn't help oohing and aahing at some of the bomb bursts.

After the dramatic ending, they kissed, took their glasses of champagne and the bottle and went back to bed to start the New Year where they left off.


End file.
